James Franklin's tenure at Penn State produced a remarkable pipeline of NFL talent, with 66 players drafted. Discover the stars he developed and his impressive draft legacy.
Former Penn State head coach James Franklin has a chip on his shoulder following his dismissal from the program last season.
He has an argument. Franklin led PSU to an appearance in the College Football Playoff semifinal months before he was fired after a 3-3 start in 2025.
Franklin won the 2016 Big Ten Championship with Penn State. While he was accused of not winning enough games at PSU, he led the team to perennial relevance during his time with the program.
Penn State had a lot of big names play for the school during his time at State College.
Brad Crawford of CBS Sports noted the top 10 current college football coaches with the most players drafted. The new Virginia Tech head coach ranks No. 4, having put 66 players in the NFL draft during his time with PSU and Vanderbilt.
"With seven first-round picks at Penn State since 2021, including a pair over the last two cycles, Franklin had no trouble acquiring elite talent in Happy Valley and making sure they were NFL-bound in short order," Crawford wrote.
"Abdul Carter, Micah Parsons, and Saquon Barkley are his most notable NFL alums, and he hopes to keep it going at his new post in the ACC at Virginia Tech."
Last year, Franklin said he was proud of what he had accomplished during his tenure with Penn State.
“I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished,” Franklin said. “We’ve been as consistent as any program in the country. We’ve been as consistent at Penn State since joining the Big Ten.
"So I’m proud of all those things. But I also understand, fully embrace, that we’ve got to take that next step.”
Many people will remember Franklin's shortcomings, at least over the next couple of years.
However, history may judge Franklin as a head coach that did a lot of things right with Penn State. He never made the program as competitive as Ohio State or Michigan, but he fielded good teams and helped his players develop into NFL talent.
It remains to be seen how new Penn State head coach Matt Campbell can do in that department.